🍩 Database of Original & Non-Theoretical Uses of Topology

1. Grasping Objects With Holes: A Topological Approach (2013)

   F. T. Pokorny, J. A. Stork, D. Kragic

   Abstract

   This work proposes a topologically inspired approach for generating robot grasps on objects with `holes'. Starting from a noisy point-cloud, we generate a simplicial representation of an object of interest and use a recently developed method for approximating shortest homology generators to identify graspable loops. To control the movement of the robot hand, a topologically motivated coordinate system is used in order to wrap the hand around such loops. Finally, another concept from topology - namely the Gauss linking integral - is adapted to serve as evidence for secure caging grasps after a grasp has been executed. We evaluate our approach in simulation on a Barrett hand using several target objects of different sizes and shapes and present an initial experiment with real sensor data.

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   • Barrett hand
   • Dexterous manipulators
   • Robotics
   • Gauss linking integral
   • Persistent homology
   • Winding numbers